Princess Naru
by PhantomSilverCrystal
Summary: Suspicious conversations. A sparkly silver pennet. These are just a few of the things that lead Usagi to believe that Naru may be the Princess they're searching for. Classic Arc. Minor MamoxUsa, NaruxUmino and NaruxNephlyte.
1. Girls Night! The mystery begins

"NARU-CHAN!!" I screamed as my best friend bolted out in front of me. "Wait for me!"

"Don't be slow, Usagi! Haruna will kill us if we're late again! C'mon, let's go!"

Recently, I'll admit, I haven't been as great a friend to Naru as I should be. She's great and all and we've been friends forever, but somehow, I can't bring myself to be with her more. I have new friends, now. Rei and the girls are super important to me and we have a destiny to fulfill. I think she understands, but I still feel bad. That's why this weekend is so important. It'll just Naru and I having a fun girls' night like we used to.

It's Friday and Haruna-sensei is going to be major mad if I'm late, so I step on it. Or rather, I step on the toes of some passerby.

"Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry, sir- Oh. It's you." I should have recognized the ugly green jacket at a glance.

"Who's this?" Naru stopped.

"My name is Chiba Mamoru. Ondango-atama is my… I'm not really sure what to call her." He pondered a moment before responding. "The annoying girl who always manages to bump into me. If I didn't know any better I'd say you did it on purpose, Ondango."

I stuck my tongue out. He was a real jerk. Every time I see him, he reminds me why I'm so glad to know _nice_ boys. Like Motoki-kun, or Tuxedo Kamen!

"I'm sorry, Chiba-san, but Usagi-chan is late." Naru grabbed my wrist and we made a mad dash for school. We made it just before the first bell. However, Haruna-sensei was in a bad mood, so we got yelled at any way. Someone needs to bring her to justice. Someone like, me: Sailor Moon, champion of justice? No, my talents are better used on the evildoers of the Dark Kingdom.

Another boring day of classes followed. At lunch Ami-chan and Mako-chan sat on the roof, as usual. One of these days, I'm going to see the appeal, but for today, Naru and I have some talking to do.

"So, Usagi-chan," She began. "Who is this tall, dark, handsome Chiba-san?" I could practically see the stars in her eyes.

"EW! Mamoru-baka? He's some jerk who follows me everywhere."

"Something tells me that we'll have a lot to talk about tonight!" She had a big smile plastered on her face like a lovesick fish. OVER MAMORU-BAKA. Double ew.

"What about you and Umino, Naru?" She turned red. I couldn't tell if it was an angry blush or a happy one because there's that saying 'Speak of the Devil', right?

"Ladies." Umino adjusted his thick glasses. "Can I help you?"

"You can get lost." Naru said plainly. With his head held low he sulked away.

"Ouch, Naru." I said. "That was a little harsh don't ya think?"

"The guy doesn't take a hint."

"That wasn't a hint- that was a billboard. To the face."

"I guess." She picked at her lunch. "He can just make me so mad sometimes."

"I know how that is." I thought of Mamoru. Wait! No. I shook that thought. No way was Mamoru going to get to me at school, too.

"I'm really excited about tonight, Usagi," She said. "I know I've been distracted lately."

"I have been, too, Naru." With all my Sailor Senshi duties I hardly have any time for anything but looking for the Princess. And the Phantom Silver Crystal.

"I've had a lot on my plate and I guess friendship just wasn't a priority. Isn't that sad? Lately, it's like my whole world's been turned inside out. Nothing I know is right, anymore. It's killing me. Oh, listen to me blabbing on! I don't mean it! Sorry! I'm exaggerating. This thing is actually a good thing! There's a whole part of me I never knew I had!"

"Naru-"

Just then, the bell rang. Class again. What could she be talking about? "A whole part of me?" The Crystal? Is Naru the Princess? No, I'd know, right? She'd tell me! We're best friends! Then again-I didn't tell her about being Sailor Moon, did I? Should I? She already knows about this world of mine because of Nephlyte. So, what'll I do?

"We'll talk about it tonight, Usagi-chan! C'mon. Class time!"


	2. Rei's Vision! Look after Naru

I couldn't focus the rest of the day. I was so wrapped up in what Naru-chan was trying to say that I didn't even care when I got a 60 (a personal best!) on my English test. All that studying with Ami must have paid off. But, it didn't mean a thing.

Naru. She's had a rough time of it the past few weeks. She loved him- Nephlyte. She loved him dearly and just when the good in him was about to come out, his own side took him out like week old garbage. I thought her heart was finally healing when she and Umino got closer, but… she was so harsh today! What if they had a fight? Could that be it? Or was it something deeper. And by deeper I mean more… supernatural?

Could Nephlyte be back? Is that it? But I was there! I saw him die. No, that's not it. What if it's merely a quarrel between her and her mom? She was the first youma I battled, if memory serves. Could that happen again? Or what if it's something about Rui? Her tennis playing "sister", that is. She was a youma, too! Man, is it just me, or does EVERYTHING supernatural just flock to her?

On the walk home, I heard nothing but the pounding of my heart with worry and excitement. I got home to an empty house. Mama was probably dropping Shingo off at a friend's house so he wouldn't bother me and Naru. She's been nice ever since Ami started helping me study.

Now, just look at this place! It's a mess! I don't want Naru to think we're pigs. Cleaning. That's the one thing I hate more than studying. Grr. But it must be done!

_Bring. Bring._

"Hello? Tsukino residence. This is Usagi." I answered the phone, grateful not to have to clean. At least for a little while.

"Usagi? Good, you're home." It was Rei. She had great timing!

"What shakin' Rei-san?"

"I was consulting the Mystic Flame and I believe a new youma is on its way."

"What else is new? A youma's ALWAYS on its way."

"Well, that's just it. I saw something else." She paused. "Your friend, Osaka-san? Are you with her right now?"

"No, she's coming over later. Why?"

"I saw her. With a silver crystal…"

"You don't think that it's-"

"That's exactly what I think, Usagi. It must be the Phantom Silver Crystal. It's gotta be!" She interrupted. Suddenly she grew quiet again.

"Rei?"

"Hmm? Oh, look, Usagi. Just keep an eye on her. She could be in danger."

"Ok, I will!" Suddenly I heard the doorknob rattle and my breath was caught up in my chest. "Who's there?" I called and set the phone on the table to look around the corner. I could hear Rei's muffled voice calling out me to answer her.

"USAGI?" I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was only Mama.

"In the kitchen, Mama." I said. I picked up the phone and returned to my conversation with Rei. "Sorry about that. What were we talking about? Naru…She's been acting weird lately. Something about her life being 'turned upside down'. Could that mean…"

"That could mean anything. Even that she has the crystal. Look, I've got to go, Usagi. Just keep an eye on her for us, 'kay?"

"'Kay. I talk to you later." _Click._

"What was that about, Usagi?" Mama set the groceries on the island counter. She began to unpack and motioned for me to do the same.

"Oh, it was just Rei. She thinks something's up with Naru. I can't imagine what." I put the eggs in the refrigerator and moved on to the veggies.

"Now, why would she think that?" She was using that tone of voice she used when she wanted in on the juicy gossip.

"Oh, nothing, really. Naru's just been acting strange since…" I sidestepped Nephlyte. That's thinking on my feet! "Since her cat died."

"She's probably really upset. Have you talked to her about it?"

"Um, she didn't want to talk about it. But there's this other cat at school that she seems to like. Or she did. Today she seemed to hate him."

"She was probably avoiding the pain that came with that last cat she had. Imagine if Luna died. She's irreplaceable, right?" Luna and Nephlyte are TOTALLY NOT on the same level. And Nephlyte was one of the Sheinto of the Dark Kingdom, by definition evil. Luna is my guardian from the moon, by definition good. "Don't be upset, honey. Why don't you clean your room for when Naru-chan gets here?"

"Okay." I said still wondering what I would do if Luna died. Then I remembered that the whole cat thing was a lie and started thinking about how I would try and figure out the truth behind Naru's demeanor.


	3. Secrets Aren't Fun! Usagi and Naru Talk

Author's Note:

Dear Reader,

It's been a LONG time since I last updated. Almost a year. So please be understanding and if you have come back to read after that long, then I guess I've done my job, right? Thank you SO much to everyone who added this to their story alerts because that's really the only reason I've started writing again.

Much Love, PSC

"Usagi? What's the matter with you today?" Luna popped her head in the window and laid on the bed, evidently exhausted. "Did your mother get upset with you again?"

"No, it's Naru. Can I ask you something, Luna?" I plopped beside her in my own fit of tiredness. Not waiting for an answer, I continued, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the whole 'secret identity' thing?"

"USAGI-CHAN! How can you possibly ask that question? This isn't a game! You have people to protect and a world to save! We still haven't found Sailor V, yet, so how can you even think about giving away a secret like this one?" Obviously the wrong question.

"OKAY! I get it." Still, I don't know how much I can accomplish by being the kind of friend who doesn't even tell her best friend that she's saved her life on a regular basis. "But what about if I just accidentally… let it slip?"

"Did you?"

"Hahahahaha… No… Luna, you have no faith in your ward!"

"In that case…" _SLASH._ Luna's claw's ripped through my skin and at once I burst into tears.

"USAGI!~" Mamma called from downstairs. "Naru-chan is here!~"

"Naru!" I leapt from the bed accidentally throwing Luna towards the wall.

Naru stood at the door with a look of fear hiding behind a smile. I wondered what was going on. Was something wrong? Her lips were happy, but her eyes… they were terrified. She did a double check behind her and quickly stepped in. Sliding off her shoes she grabbed my wrist and bolted to my room.

Closing the door tightly, she sighed with relief.

"Oh. My. God. Usagi! I need to talk to you so badly!" Naru panted as she fell on the floor in a fit of frustration.

"Naru?" I knelt next to her, placing a comforting hand on her back. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"It's… complicated." She kept a steady eye on the floor. "You know how I told you I was in love? With Matsato-kun?"

"Um, I vaguely remember that." I was hesitant, not really liking where this whole thing was going.

"He wasn't what I thought at all. I guess I fooled myself into thinking that I could be happy. What a joke, right?" She laughed at herself. "I still loved him and now, I'm freaking myself out. Plus, Zoi—something or other is following me. I could have sworn that they were following me here…"

"What's a Zoi?" I played dumb, trying not to give too much away. Wait? Did she just say he followed her here? _Luna,_ I willed silently, _You need to get back here now! I could use some wise moon cat stuff right about now!_

"Zoi—is short for Zoicy… or Zoicite… or… I don't really know, but he killed Nephlyte. And Sailor Moon? She didn't even try to stop him."

"Sailor… Moon?" It always freaks me out a little when I hear that name; I always have a twinge that someone knows. "Naru-chan, you aren't really making sense. A normal person could get really lost." _But I'm keeping up for once._

Naru fingered the pendant around her neck as she retold the story that I'd lived first hand. It was a story that I had to hold back from interjecting as she got all of Sailor Moon's parts wrong. Nephlyte was bad: as bad as they come. Loving Naru was the only decent thing he'd done on earth. And even then…

That pendant Naru had. A gift from her mother? Nephlyte? Umino? This thought almost made me laugh out loud, but I contained my self as Naru continued with her most painful memories. It was beautiful. It was crescent moon shape opaque crystal. A _SILVER_ crystal.


End file.
